Door of electric oven

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a door of an electric oven, which has an improved configuration to prevent the escape of heat from a cooking compartment to the outside during cooking or self-cleaning of the cooking compartment. The door, which serves to selectively open or close a cooking compartment of an electric oven, includes a front glass installed to a front surface, a rear glass installed behind the front glass, and a porous plate interposed between the front glass and the rear glass. The porous plate serves to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside and includes a plurality of view holes to enable observation of the cooking compartment from the outside.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2011-0043843, filed on May 11, 2011 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments relate to a door of an electric oven, which prevents the escape of heat from a cooking compartment to the outside.

2. Description of the Related Art

Ovens are kitchen appliances that cook food within a cooking compartment using heat.

Ovens are divided into gas ovens and electric ovens according to a heat source employed. Gas ovens heat and cook food with a flame ignited by a gas burner, and electric ovens heat and cook food with heat emitted from an electric heater.

Specifically, electric ovens cook food with radiation, convection and conduction generated by electric power as a heat source.

At present, use of electric ovens is increasing because electric ovens simultaneously heat the exterior and interior of food to be cooked, achieving faster cooking speed and higher heat efficiency and stability than gas ovens.

Generally, an electric oven includes a main body defining the exterior appearance of the oven, the main body having an open front side, through which food to be cooked is introduced into a cooking compartment defined in the main body, and a door coupled to a front edge of the main body so as to selectively open or close the cooking compartment.

The door of the electric oven is fabricated using a plurality of glass panels to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside, and some of the plurality of glasses is provided with a heat-reflective coating surface.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a door of an electric oven, which has an improved configuration to prevent the escape of heat from a cooking compartment to the outside during cooking or self-cleaning of the cooking compartment.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, may be learned by practice of embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a door of an electric oven to selectively open or close a cooking compartment, includes a front glass installed to a front surface, a rear glass installed behind the front glass, and a porous plate interposed between the front glass and the rear glass, wherein the porous plate serves to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside and includes a plurality of view holes to enable observation of the cooking compartment from the outside.

The rear glass may include a first rear glass installed adjacent to the porous plate and a second rear glass installed behind the first rear glass.

The second rear glass may be provided with a heat-reflective coating surface to reflect heat so as to prevent the escape of the heat from the cooking compartment to the outside.

The porous plate may be installed between the front glass and the first rear glass.

The porous plate may be installed between the front glass and the first rear glass so as to come into close contact with the first rear glass.

The porous plate may be installed between the first rear glass and the second rear glass.

The porous plate may include a body having a plurality of view holes, and extensions protruding from left and right sides of the body toward the rear glass.

The body of the porous plate may include a view portion provided with the plurality of view holes and a shield portion provided above the view portion.

All surfaces of the shield portion of the porous plate may be hermetically sealed to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside through a door grill.

The plurality of view holes of the porous plate may have a circular form.

The body of the porous plate and the extensions protruding from the body may define an air path therebetween, and air may pass through the air path from the bottom to the top of the porous plate.

In accordance with an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a door of an electric oven to selectively open or close a cooking compartment, includes a front glass installed to a front surface, a rear glass including a first rear glass and a second rear glass sequentially arranged behind the front glass, and a porous plate interposed between the front glass and the rear glass, the porous plate including a body provided with a plurality of view holes and extensions protruding from left and right sides of the body toward the rear glass, wherein the body of the porous plate and the extensions protruding from the body define an air path therebetween, and air passes through the air path from the bottom to the top of the porous plate.

The second rear glass may be provided with a heat-reflective coating surface to reflect heat so as to prevent the escape of the heat from the cooking compartment to the outside.

The porous plate may be installed between the front glass and the first rear glass.

The porous plate may be installed between the first rear glass and the second rear glass.

The body of the porous plate may include a view portion provided with the plurality of view holes and a shield portion provided above the view portion.

All surfaces of the shield portion of the porous plate may be hermetically sealed to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside through a door grill.

The plurality of view holes of the porous plate may have a circular form.

In accordance with an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a door of an electric oven to selectively open or close a cooking compartment, the door including a porous plate interposed between a front glass and a rear glass, wherein the porous plate serves to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside and includes a plurality of view holes to enable observation of the cooking compartment from the outside, wherein the rear glass includes a first rear glass and a second rear glass installed behind the first rear glass, and wherein the porous plate is installed between the front glass and the first rear glass so as to come into close contact with the first rear glass.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an electric oven in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of an electric oven in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a porous plate included in a door of an electric oven in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view illustrating a door of an electric oven in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view illustrating an embodiment of a door of an electric oven; and

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view illustrating an embodiment of a door of the electric oven.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electric oven includes a main body 10 having an open front side, the main body 10 defining a cooking compartment 11 therein, and a door to selectively open or close the cooking compartment 11 having an open front side.

The main body 10 includes a control unit 12 provided at an upper rear position thereof to control operation of the electric oven, the cooking compartment hermetically defined therein for cooking of food, and a receiving member 19 provided at a lower end thereof, the receiving member 19 being drawable forward.

The cooking compartment 11 of the main body 10 is provided with grill racks 13 in a lattice form, upon which food to be cooked may be placed, and also, at both sidewalls thereof with guide rails 14, by which both ends of the grill racks 13 may be separably supported.

Although three grill racks 13 are illustrated in the drawing, the number of the grill racks 13 is not limited thereto and various numbers of grill racks may be provided.

Also, although three guide rails 14 corresponding to the grill racks 13 are illustrated in the drawing, three or more guide rails 14 may be provided to adjust installation heights of the grill racks 13 in various ways as necessary.

A convection module 15 and a grill module 16 are mounted in the main body 10. The convection module 15 serves to heat air and circulate the heated air within the cooking compartment 11, allowing cooking of food within the cooking compartment 11. The grill module 16 serves to directly apply radiation heat to food within the cooking compartment 11, enabling cooking of food.

The convection module 15 includes a convection heater 15 a to generate heat so as to heat air, a convection fan 15 b to generate suction force and blowing force so as to allow the air, heated by the convection heater 15 a, to be circulated into the cooking compartment 11, and a drive motor 15 c to rotate the convection fan 15 b.

A convection module receiving space 17 for installation of the convection module 15 is defined in a rear region of the cooking compartment 11. To this end, a partition 18 is installed to a rear surface of the cooking compartment 11 to separate the cooking compartment 11 from the convection module receiving space 17.

The partition 18 has a plurality of central suction holes 18 a, through which the air of the cooking compartment 11 is suctioned into the convection module receiving space 17, and a plurality of peripheral discharge holes 18 b, through which the air, heated by the convection module 15, is discharged into the cooking compartment 11.

As such, the air of the cooking compartment 11 is axially suctioned through the suction holes 18 a and then, is radially outwardly moved from the front side of the convection fan 15 b. After being heated by the convection heater 15 a located around the convection fan 15 b, the heated air is introduced into the cooking compartment 11 through the discharge holes 18 b, whereby food within the cooking compartment 11 may be heated and cooked via convection of the heated air.

The grill module 16 functions to directly heat food within the cooking compartment 11 with radiation heat and is installed at the top and bottom of the cooking compartment 11.

The grill module 16 includes an upper grill heater 16 a, which is installed above the plurality of grill racks 13 arranged in the cooking compartment 11 so as to heat food from above, and a lower grill heater 16 b, which is installed below the plurality of grill racks 13 so as to heat food from below.

The door 100 is pivotally coupled to a front lower position of the main body 10 so as to selectively open or close the cooking compartment 11.

The door 100 may include a grip 101 provided near an upper end thereof to assist a user in easily opening or closing the door 100, and a door grill 103 for emission of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside.

The above described electric oven is adapted to heat and cook food with heat generated from the upper grill heater 16 a and the lower grill heater 16 b as electric heaters, and may inconvenience the user when heat generated within the cooking compartment 11 during cooking escapes from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside.

In particular, even during self-cleaning of the cooking compartment 11 after cooking, heat is generated in the cooking compartment 11 because the self-cleaning of the cooking compartment 11 is performed using heat, which also inconveniences the user due to the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11.

Accordingly, the door 100 of the electric oven may have a heat-shield configuration to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside.

Hereinafter, the heat-shied configuration of the door to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside will be described in detail.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, the door 100 of the electric oven includes a front glass 110 installed to a front surface thereof, a rear glass 120 located behind the front glass 110, and a porous plate 130 interposed between the front glass 110 and the rear glass 120.

The rear glass 120 includes a first rear glass 121 arranged adjacent to the porous plate 130, and a second rear glass 123 arranged behind the first rear glass 121.

The second rear glass 123 is provided with a heat-reflective coating surface 123 a, to effectively prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside.

The porous plate 130, interposed between the front glass 110 and the rear glass 120, includes a body 131 to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside, and extensions 139 protruding from left and right sides of the body 131 toward the rear glass 120.

The body 131 of the porous plate 130 includes a view portion 135 through which a plurality of view holes 137 is perforated, and a shield portion 133 provided above the view portion 135 to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside through the door grill 103 of the door 100.

The view portion 135 functions not only to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside, but also to allow the user to observe a cooking state within the cooking compartment 11 through the plurality of view holes 137.

Although the plurality of view holes 137 perforated in the view portion 135 is illustrated as having a circular form, the shape of the plurality of view holes 137 is not limited thereto and the view holes 137 may have various other shapes.

Moreover, the plurality of view holes 137 has no limit in size and may have various sizes.

The shield portion 133, provided above the view portion 135, functions to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside through the door grill 103 of the door 100.

Because the shield portion 133 is located above the view portion 135 and does not need any configuration to allow the user to observe the cooking compartment 11 from the outside like the view portion 135, all surfaces of the shield portion 133 are hermetically sealed without holes, which more effectively prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11.

The extensions 139 of the porous plate 130 protrude from the left and right sides of the body 131 toward the rear glass 120 and thus, define a space having a depth equal to a protruding length thereof from the body 131.

The space defined by the body 131 and the extensions 139 functions as an air path P for movement of air. Thus, air passes through the air path P from the bottom to the top of the porous plate 130.

As the air passes through the air path P from the bottom to the top of the porous plate 130, this may achieve cooling of the door 100 heated by heat of the cooking compartment 11.

It is more efficient to position the porous plate 130 closer to the first rear glass 121 than the front glass 110 because a larger space between the front glass 110 and the porous plate 130 more effectively prevents the escape of heat from the cooking compartment 11 to the outside.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the porous plate 130 included in the door 100 of the electric oven may be installed between the front glass 110 and the first rear glass 121 so as to come into close contact with the first rear glass 121.

Although the first rear glass 121 comes into close contact with the body 131 of the porous plate 130 and thus, makes it impossible to define the air path between the body 131 and the extensions 139 of the porous plate 130, a wider space between the front glass 110 and the porous plate 130 is obtained, which may improve heat-shield effects.

Additionally, by directly mounting the porous plate 130 to the first rear glass 121 without a separate fixing member, a reduction in material costs may be obtained.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the porous plate 130 included in the door 100 of the electric oven may be installed between the first rear glass 121 and the second rear glass 123.

By installing the porous plate 130 between the first rear glass 121 and the second rear glass 123, a wider space between the first glass 110 and the first rear glass 121 is obtained, which may improve heat-shield effects.

Although the above description regarding the door of the electric oven with reference to the accompanying drawings is centered on specific shapes and orientations, various modifications and changes thereof are possible by those skilled in the art and should be interpreted as being included within the scope of embodiments.

As is apparent from the above description, according to one or more embodiments, one of a plurality of glasses installed to a door of an electric oven is replaced by a porous plate, which may reduce a required number of heat-reflective coating surfaces provided at some of the plurality of glasses, resulting in reduction in material costs and weight.

Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

1. A door of an electric oven to selectively open or close a cooking compartment, comprising: a front glass installed to a front surface; a rear glass installed behind the front glass; and a porous plate interposed between the front glass and the rear glass, wherein the porous plate serves to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside and includes a plurality of view holes to enable observation of the cooking compartment from the outside.
 2. The door according to claim 1, wherein the rear glass includes a first rear glass installed adjacent to the porous plate and a second rear glass installed behind the first rear glass.
 3. The door according to claim 2, wherein the second rear glass is provided with a heat-reflective coating surface to reflect heat so as to prevent the escape of the heat from the cooking compartment to the outside.
 4. The door according to claim 3, wherein the porous plate is installed between the front glass and the first rear glass.
 5. The door according to claim 3, wherein the porous plate is installed between the front glass and the first rear glass so as to come into close contact with the first rear glass.
 6. The door according to claim 3, wherein the porous plate is installed between the first rear glass and the second rear glass.
 7. The door according to claim 1, wherein the porous plate includes a body having a plurality of view holes, and extensions protruding from left and right sides of the body toward the rear glass.
 8. The door according to claim 7, wherein the body of the porous plate includes a view portion provided with the plurality of view holes and a shield portion provided above the view portion.
 9. The door according to claim 8, wherein all surfaces of the shield portion of the porous plate are hermetically sealed to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside through a door grill.
 10. The door according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of view holes of the porous plate has a circular form.
 11. The door according to claim 7, wherein the body of the porous plate and the extensions protruding from the body define an air path therebetween, and air passes through the air path from the bottom to the top of the porous plate.
 12. A door of an electric oven to selectively open or close a cooking compartment, comprising: a front glass installed to a front surface; a rear glass including a first rear glass and a second rear glass sequentially arranged behind the front glass; and a porous plate interposed between the front glass and the rear glass, the porous plate including a body provided with a plurality of view holes and extensions protruding from left and right sides of the body toward the rear glass, wherein the body of the porous plate and the extensions protruding from the body define an air path therebetween, and air passes through the air path from the bottom to the top of the porous plate.
 13. The door according to claim 12, wherein the second rear glass is provided with a heat-reflective coating surface to reflect heat so as to prevent the escape of the heat from the cooking compartment to the outside.
 14. The door according to claim 12, wherein the porous plate is installed between the front glass and the first rear glass.
 15. The door according to claim 12, wherein the porous plate is installed between the first rear glass and the second rear glass.
 16. The door according to claim 12, wherein the body of the porous plate includes a view portion provided with the plurality of view holes and a shield portion provided above the view portion.
 17. The door according to claim 16, wherein all surfaces of the shield portion of the porous plate are hermetically sealed to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside through a door grill.
 18. The door according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of view holes of the porous plate has a circular form. A door of an electric oven to selectively open or close a cooking compartment, the door comprising: a porous plate interposed between a front glass and a rear glass, wherein the porous plate serves to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment to the outside and includes a plurality of view holes to enable observation of the cooking compartment from the outside, wherein the rear glass includes a first rear glass and a second rear glass installed behind the front glass, and wherein the porous plate is installed between the front glass and the first rear glass so as to come into close contact with the first rear glass. 